Archives

GEELONG: 2.4, 6.5, 10.7, 12.10 (82)
ST KILDA: 1.4, 3.8, 6.8, 9.10 (64)
GOALS - Geelong: Chapman 3, S Johnson 3, Rooke, Kelly, Playfair, D Johnson, Ling, Tenace
St Kilda: Riewoldt 3, Schwarze, Gehrig, Ackland, Gram, Maguire, Goddard
BEST - Geelong: Chapman, King, Ottens, Kelly, S Johnson, Ling, Scarlett
St Kilda: Dal Santo, Hayes, Goddard, Gram, Voss
INJURIES - Geelong: Nil
St Kilda: Hamill (jarred knee)
CHANGES: Nil
REPORTS - Nil
UMPIRES - Chamberlain, Ryan, Goldspink
CROWD - 48,313 at Telstra Dome
HITOUTS: Geelong 35, Saints 13
50m PENALTIES: Geelong 1, Saints 0
GOALS: Geelong Free 0; Play 7; Mark 5
Saints Free 0; Play 3; Mark 6
DISTANCE OF GOALS: Geelong 0-15m 2; 15-30m 4; 30-40m 3; 40+m 3
Saints 0-15m 1; 15-30m 3; 30-40m 2; 40+m 3
Ladder - Stats - Injury list

"Everyone's just got to dig deeper and be better, and we've got to make up the slack. He's (Aaron Hamill) a quality player, but so is Justin Koschitzke, so is Raphael Clarke, so is Xavier Clarke". Grant Thomas

Hamill may be sidelined for six weeks
Desperate to string some form together, St Kilda must forge on without its resident enforcer Aaron Hamill, who will be sidelined for up to six weeks after being diagnosed with a posterior cruciate ligament injury yesterday. Hamill was injured early in the first quarter of the Saints' loss to Geelong on Friday night and will miss a month of football at the minimum. With Justin Koschitzke (fractured skull) expected to be sidelined for at least six weeks, and possibly longer, St Kilda will again be without two of its key players until the second half of the season. The Saints lost four of six matches when the duo was out injured between rounds eight and 13 last year. "He'll be in a brace for two weeks, and it's a four-to-six week injury," St Kilda coach Grant Thomas said of Hamill yesterday.
The Article Karen Lyon/TheAge/14May06
Hamill out for 10 Jackie Epstein and Jon Ralph/HeraldSun/14May06
Hamill injury blow for Saints SydneyMorningHerald/13May06

"There we go again, playing Dal in a defensive role against a stronger opponent. It didn't work last season and it won't work this season . . . Dal's best work is done just behind the pack, mopping up and creating forward moves. Sheer folly to put him on Chapman. I thought we'd got beyond this nonsense". Superboot/saintsational.com

Frustrated Supporters speak out - Fan Forum Threads
Robert Harvey said it all after the game
Harvey says: We didn't work hard enough. Our work rate was terrible. We didin't run to space and we didn't work hard enough for the contested ball. Our intensity was NOT there, and we didn't carry out instructions as planned . . . That about sums it up. We lost Hamill early, which lost us an avenue to goal, but in the end we were crap. Was it the three 6 day breaks finally catching up with us? Was it our playing group distracted by the Harvey build up? Also killed in the ruck again . . . I can understand keeping faith in the players that have done it for us in the past (Blake and Ackland). . . but Rix's lack of selection is becoming a bigger issue . . . I know everyone will here will be getting stuck into the coach, and the coaching panel should also take some blame . . . But I will wait and see . . . Just too simplistic to blame it all on the coach.
The Article kaos theory/saintsational.com
Grant Thomas - The king of spin. Teflon/saintsational.com
My thoughts on where the Saints are at . . . saintsRrising/saintsational.com
So . . . who played well last night? Grimfang/saintsational.com

"We have worked really hard to minimise injuries this year . . . It's really annoying that we can't get our best team out on the park and show the footy world what we can do . . . it hasn't happened for the last two years". Brendon Goddard

Lethargic loss dents premiership hopes
St kilda's fourth loss of the season has left the premiership favourites in danger of falling out of the eight after succumbing to a desperate Geelong at Telstra Dome last night. The Saints failed to bring their "A-grade game" along for Robert Harvey's record-breaking 324th game, according to coach Grant Thomas, and looked lethargic after three six-day breaks. "It was just a classic example of the importance of attitude in a game of footy," Thomas said. "We had a lot to play for in relation to our season and getting a semblance of form going (and) the other motivation for a guy like Rob Harvey as well, but obviously their (Geelong's) motivation was stronger." Saints forward Aaron Hamill left the ground early in the first quarter after jarring his knee in a collision with Geelong's Steve Johnson and sat out the game on the bench.
The Article Martin Boulton/TheAge/13May06
Riewoldt flawed Mark Robinson/HeraldSun/13May06
Riewoldt's forgettable kick Scott Gullan/TheAustralian/13May06
Kick that Nick will want to forget Scott Gullan/HeraldSun/13May06
Special night a fizzer for Harvey, Saints Martin Blake/TheAge/13May06

Lethargic Saints rue missed chances
St Kilda coach Grant Thomas last night labelled his players lethargic and reactive, demanding more from them if the club was to get its season on track. The Saints' celebration of Robert Harvey's club games record turned sour when the Saints suffered an 18-point loss to Geelong at Telstra Dome. The loss was compounded by a knee injury to key forward Aaron Hamill early in the match.
The Article Rebecca Williams/HeraldSun/12May06

"I think Lenny Hayes had five clearances but apart from that we didn't have another player that had more than one. That's not a stat that's synonymous with St Kilda. It's just a classic example of the importance of attitude in a game of footy. We had a lot to play for in relation to our season and getting a semblance of a bit of form going and there's the other motivation for a guy like Rob Harvey as well." Grant Thomas

Players let Harvey down: Thomas
St Kilda coach Grant Thomas has criticised his players' attitude after Geelong smashed his team in the clearances to ruin Robert Harvey's record-breaking night by inflicting an 18-point defeat. On the night when Harvey became the games record-holder at Moorabbin, the Saints failed to play their A-grade game, Thomas said, and were reactive against a team that worked overtime to push numbers behind the ball. For the first time under Thomas' reign, the Saints were smashed in the stoppages - beaten 15 to 37 - in a performance which the St Kilda coach thought highlighted the importance of carrying the right attitude onto the field. "We were second to the footy. They won the hard inside footy. They beat us by twenty-odd in the hard ball gets. That's something we pride ourselves on," Thomas said.
The Article Andrew Wu/Sportal/saints.com.au/12May06
Geelong intensity back Michael Stevens/HeraldSun/13May06

Saints come up short
A final-quarter surge proved too little, too late against the Cats at Telstra Dome on Friday night, the Saints' 18-point defeat putting a dampener on a great occasion - Robert Harvey's record breaking 324th game for the club. Unable to find inspiration, the Saints lacked precision and purpose heading forward and, apart the final quarter flurry, never managed to dominate in going down 12.10 (82) to 9.10 (64). With Aaron Hamill forced off the field early in the first quarter after clashing with Steve Johnson, and Fraser Gehrig unable to shake off Matthew Scarlett, the Saints' highly rated forward line lacked spark. Cain Ackland and Jason Blake struggled in the ruck, 35 hit outs to 12, while at ground level the Cats won the clearances 37 to 15.
The Article Andrew Wu/Sportal/saints.com.au/12May06

Cats snap losing streak in style
Geelong has snapped its four-game AFL losing streak, spoiling St Kilda's party for duel Brownlow Medallist Robert Harvey with an 18-point victory at the Telstra Dome. Steve Johnson, returning from a fortnight in the seconds, and Paul Chapman kicked three goals apiece as the Cats won 12.10 (82) to 9.10 (64), leaving Geelong and St Kilda on three wins apiece after seven rounds. Harvey was chaired from the field after he broke the club games record, playing his 324th game for the Saints to surpass former teammate Nathan Burke's mark, but the loss took the gloss off the occasion.
The Article AAP/Sportal/HeraldSun/12May06

Cats snap losing streak with win over Saints
Geelong snapped a worrying four-game losing streak with a much-needed 18-point win over St Kilda in the round seven AFL clash at Docklands stadium tonight. Paul Chapman and Steve Johnson kicked three goals each as the Cats emerged 12.10 (82) to 9.10 (64) victors over a mediocre Saints' outfit. After leading by 15 points at half-time, the Cats consolidated in the third quarter, kicking four goals to two, including two to Chapman. Chapman had a busy night for the Cats, picking up 26 touches to add to his goal haul, and was given tremendous support by the experienced Darren Milburn, who registered 27 touches.
The Article ABC Sport/12May06

Next Match: R 8 St Kilda vs Carlton
Sunday 21st May - MCG 2:10pm
Replacement game: Free entry for all 11 and 15 game membership ticket holders
Ballarat Saints Update Buses to Carlton Match

"I played in front of goal and if I got more than 40 metres out I thought I was on holidays. I was overweight, I was an asthmatic, I was a thug, I was useless but I could mark and I could kick and that, in my book, was about as far as it went". Tony Lockett

Shy Plugger breaks silence
Tony Lockett emerged from his self-imposed football exile yesterday to honour a fellow Saint and admit he played overweight, with asthma and was a "thug". Plugger then quickly corrected himself and said other people labelled him a thug after a series of on-field indiscretions saw him become a tribunal regular. Lockett, who has shunned the game since an unsuccessful comeback with Sydney in 2002, came out of nowhere to praise St Kilda's games record-breaker Robert Harvey. Lockett said he rated Harvey alongside the likes of Ted Whitten, Bob Skilton and Ian Stewart.
The Article Scot Palmer/HeraldSun/14May06
Lockett: I was an overweight, useless thug Karen Lyon/TheAge/14May06


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